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The present invention relates generally to devices for hitching a trailing vehicle to a towing vehicle, and more particularly to an automatic trailer hitch coupling apparatus that facilitates use by a wide variety of operators, including unskilled and physically impaired operators.
It is well known that hitching a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle can require significant strength, and occasionally skill. Furthermore, bringing a heavy and clumsy towed vehicle into effective registration with a towing hitch frequently necessitates situating the towing and towed vehicles such that the longitudinal axes are aligned. This is often difficult to accomplish. Accordingly, it is desirable to have an apparatus operable by the elderly, the weak, the physically impaired, or the injured, which effectively assists in easily hitching and automatically hitching a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle, even when the vehicles are significantly out of alignment.
Several hitch devices have been proposed for coupling a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle. It is well known to provide a trailer coupling with a manual or motorized winch to assist coupling of large or heavy loads. Illustrative examples include U.S. Pat. No.: 2,170,983 to Adams, U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,082 to Atkins; U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,925 to Richie; U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,113 to Smitherman; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,895 to Christopher; U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,632 to DeVorak; U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,899 to Belcher; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,854 to Clark.
The trailer hitch coupling device disclosed in the Dvorak patent includes a drawbar with a bellmouth hitch sleeve bolted to the truck bumper or frame and carries an extendible hitch tongue securely nested within the sleeve when towing a trailer or implement. The tongue is attached to one end of a wire rope with the other end of the wire rope reeled around a winch drum member, incorporated into the trailer hitch. When the wire rope is unreeled, the hitch tongue is allowed to be drawn out of the sleeve for coupling to a tow bar of a trailer. The coupling can be made with the insertion of an interconnecting lock pin. The wire rope is then reeled in on the winch drum while the bellmouth sleeve guides the rope and hitch tongue toward an aligning couple. The winch drum reel is powered by a hand crank to drag the hitch tongue with the attached trailer into a stowed position. A truncated pyramidal portion of the hitch tongue is brought into engagement with the bellmouth hitch sleeve. A second lock pin provides a positive mechanical towing couple between the tongue and sleeve, forming a rigid tow bar unit.
The hitch assembly of the Belcher ""899 patent comprises a receiver section that defines a tubular passage and is secured in axial longitudinal alignment on a rear bumper structure of a towing vehicle. A winch is mounted adjacent the receiver structure to retractably extend a cable rearward through the tubular passage for connection to a hitch bar that is adapted for hitch connection to a trailer or implement that is to be towed. The cable can be retracted to draw the hitch bar for tight, locked reception up within the tubular passage. A locking pin automatically drops into position to lock the hitch bar within the hitch receptacle.
The ""854 patent to Clark teaches a pivoting quick-connect winch-driven hitch system for coupling trailers to tow vehicles. The system comprises a unitary frame pivotally mounted beneath the bumper of the vehicle by a rigid pivot shaft, which projects upwardly from the center of the frame. A rigid base defines a tubular cavity and a platform for mounting a winch adjacent to the cavity. The cavity receives a rigid bar coupled to the trailer. Deflectors project angularly outwardly from the cavity to define a mouth for guiding the bar into alignment as it enters the mouth. The frame rotates in response to pressure applied by the cable when the trailer is drawn from either side of the tow vehicle. The bar comprises a tapered end, a locking orifice defined centrally through the bar, and an end having an orifice for receiving a trailer connector. A rigid travel-limiting stop projects upwardly between the locking orifice and the open end. The stop limits travel of the bar relative to the mouth to assure proper coupling. The frame pivots roughly sixty-five degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the cavity. Rotation of the frame is limited by a rigid stop projecting upwardly from the frame. The winch cable is anchored by a hand-tied knot to facilitate repair if broken. A drop pin and cotter pin assembly are employed to ensure safe coupling and to preclude frame rotation when moving.
The above-mentioned related prior art disclose winch assemblies that facilitate drawing a heavy towed load into registration with the hitch. Nevertheless, there are certain disadvantages in the designs. For instance, the hand-driven winch of DeVorak ""632 and the powered hitch assembly of Belcher ""899 do not provide safe or convenient means to hitch a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle when the vehicles are not in axial alignment.
While the patent to Clark ""854 provides such means, it does so with a unitary design that includes a pivoting platform defining the hitch receptacle and to which a winch is mounted. This makes interchangeability of parts and use of only parts of the system on other vehicles difficult and inconvenient. Furthermore, the pivot range of the platform is limited, and no additional means is provided to provide registration of the hitching bar within the hitch bar receptacle other than rotation of the frame and flaring deflectors at the mouth of the receptacle.
Thus, although the above-indicated patents disclose a partial solution to the problem of hitching heavy loads, improvements in the art are needed to facilitate easy hitching of misaligned vehicles, particularly by individuals who are at physical disadvantage.
Accordingly, the automatic trailer hitch coupling apparatus of the present invention provides means for solving the aforementioned problems, including eliminating the need to bring a towing and towed vehicle into close proximity or into alignment before hitching the vehicles; eliminating the need to employ a second person to assist in guiding the driver; eliminating the necessity of lifting a heavy trailer tongue to effect coupling to a hitch receiver; and facilitating hitching on slick, uneven, and slanted surfaces.
The inventive apparatus comprises a hitch bar receiver having a square cross section and a flanged rear end into which the hitch bar is inserted. The hitch bar receiver is mounted on the rear bumper of a vehicle, or another suitably stable platform, and includes an aperture into which a locking pin is inserted when the hitch bar is fully engaged. A hitch bar for coupling within the hitch bar receiver has a front portion connected to a rear portion with a universal joint. In operation, the front portion is connected to a cable lead which has tapering sides for easy and accurate insertion into the hitch bar receiver. A winch, powered or manual, is mounted proximate the receiver.
A hitch ball is mounted on the horizontal portion of a tongue, which also includes a vertical portion functioning as a stop. The hitch ball may be left connected to a trailer tongue socket for easy connection to the automatic hitch coupling cable lead.
The hitch bar is selectively attached or detached from the cable lead with either a quick release and lock system or a threaded post. The quick release and lock system may be connected to the hitch bar with a mere insertion and quarter turn, thus enabling rapid and easy connection for operation. Thereafter, no heavy lifting or struggling to align the vehicles is required to effect hitching. Further, during operation, stress and strain on the cable and the system in its entirety is minimized by the unique two-part hitch bar having a universal joint. The joint keeps the cable in straight alignment relative to the cable lead and facilitates insertion into the receiver as the trailer nears the towing vehicle.
In operation, a user backs a towing vehicle with the rear end nearby the trailer. The winch cable and cable lead are then pulled to the trailer where the quick lock and release is used to connect the lead to the trailer hitch bar. The winch is engaged and the cable is retracted to pull the trailer into registration with the hitch receiver. When the hitch bar is fully inserted into the receiver, a locking pin secure s the h itch bar within the receiver.
When it is desired to disconnect the cable lead from the hitch bar, the locking p in is removed, the cable is fed out to slide out the hitch bar, and the quick release and lock system is disengaged by turning the key for removal from its complementary keyhole.